Isolation of the precursor of bacterial cellulose

Abstract

A method is described for the isolation of the precursor of cellulose microfibrils from ethanol extracts of active cultures of Acetobacter xylinum. Using the capacity to form cellulose microfibrils for an assay procedure, the method employs column chromatography of chloroform extracts of the residues from the ethanol solutions, on silicic acid and Celite followed by magnesium trisilicate (Magnesol) and Celite. A fraction from the second stage contains only one compound, which is capable of forming typical bacterial cellulose microfibrils in the presence of ultrafiltered supernatant of an active culture. The compound contains glucose, an unknown base, and a fatty acid.